Kinshasa, Dec 28 (EFE). – The influential Congolese National Episcopal Conference (CENCO), which supervised the Dec. 20 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), denounced on Thursday several irregularities.
Donatien Nshole, the head of the country’s Catholic bishops’ conference, noted that there were “numerous cases of irregularities that could affect the integrity of the results of the various polls in certain places.”
It highlighted that more than 27% of polling stations didn’t open and that there were 152 reports of violence, confrontations or fights, based on a sample of 1,185 observer reports.
It also mentioned that its “parallel vote counting system” confirmed that “one candidate stood out significantly above the others, with more than half of the votes for him alone,” without giving further details.
Although the CENCO document did not reveal the name of the candidate, it could coincide with the preliminary data published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) on Wednesday, in which President Félix Tshisekedi leads the recount with 77.35% of the vote.
The organization also regretted that the elections were extended by up to five days in areas where logistical challenges delayed or prevented voting.
“The organization of the elections after December 20, 2023, contradicts certain provisions, which stipulate that voting must take place on a Sunday or holiday,” the report stressed.
Although the CENCO document did not reveal the name of that candidate, its information could agree with the provisional data that the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) published on Wednesday in which the president, Félix Tshisekedi, leads the recount with 77.35% votes.
Moïse Katumbi, a businessman and former governor of the former province of Katanga (South), is a distant second with 15.71%, followed by Martin Fayulu, with 3.89%.
“It is urgent that the competent authorities assess the legality of the vote,” CENCO added.
The irregularities at polling stations, the extension of voting time, and distrust of the results have cast a cloud over the process throughout the week,
On Saturday, several of the presidential candidates called for a demonstration in Kinshasa, and the opposition has also asked for the vote to be annulled.
On Wenesday, during the protest, demonstrators accused police of using live ammunition, but security forces claimed they only used tear gas.
Some 44 million people were called to vote in 75,000 polling stations on the Dec. 20 election.
According to the electoral calendar, the full results of the presidential election should be announced on Dec. 31, although delays in the process could hinder the announcement.
The DRC is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, with a population of more than one hundred million and enormous mineral wealth (including vast reserves of cobalt, key to the production of electric vehicle batteries).
However, according to World Bank data, in 2022, nearly 62% of Congolese, around 60 million people, lived on less than $2.15 a day.
The country also suffers from poor infrastructure across much of its territory.
In addition, more than a hundred militias operate in the east, and fighting by the rebel March 23 Movement (M23) has escalated since October.
Tshisekedi came to power in the 2018 elections, which were criticized by the opposition and the international community, and many considered Martin Fayulu the legitimate winner.
Despite the controversy, 2018 marked the first peaceful transfer of power in the country since its independence from Belgium in 1960. EFE
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